[March 18, 2014]SPRINGFIELD — Historians,
elected officials and political scientists will meet at the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to celebrate Women's History
Month by discussing women's right to vote and the challenges facing
female candidates in the past and now.

The free event takes place March 27 at the presidential museum's
Union Theater from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

American women spent decades
fighting for the right to vote before finally achieving a nationwide
victory in 1920. They argued women voters would make a better world
— one where children would be shielded from hard labor, women would
be protected from physical abuse, and wars would be less common.

Did women's suffrage lead to progress on those issues? What
issues are most important to female voters today? What challenges do
women face now when they run for office?

Those questions and more — including Illinois' historic rejection
of the Equal Rights Amendment — will be discussed at the March 27
round-table event.

Participating are Naomi Lynn, former chancellor of the
University of Illinois at Springfield; Holly Kent, a history
professor at UI-Springfield; Illinois House Majority Leader
Barbara Flynn Currie; Joan Walters, state budget director during
the Edgar administration; state Rep. Kay Hatcher; and more.

The moderator will be Eileen Mackevich, executive director of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The event is co-sponsored by the American Association of
University Women and the University of Illinois at Springfield
History Department.